Convention For The Preservation Of Wild Animals, Birds, And Fish In Africa
Source: British Parliamentary Papers, 1900, Cd. 101., vol. 56, pages 825-837
HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India;
His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of the German Empire;
His Majesty the King of Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the Queen-Regent of the Kingdom;
His Majesty the King-Sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo;
The President of the French Republic;
His Majesty the King of Italy;
His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, etc., etc., etc.;
Being desirous of saving from indiscriminate slaughter, and of insuring the preservation throughout their possessions in Africa of the various forms of animal life existing in a wild state which are either useful to man or are harmless, have resolved, on the invitation addressed to them by the Government of Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, in accord with the Government of His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, to assemble with this object a Conference at London, and have named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, the Right Honourable Sir John Adrian Lois Hope, Earl of Hopetoun Viscount-Aithrie, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order Honorable Privy Council, Lord Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household, etc., etc.; Sir Clement Lloyd Hill, Director of the Affairs of Africa in her Ministry for foreign affairs, Knight Commander of the Most distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath; and Edwin Ray Lankester, Esquire, Director of the British Museum (Natural History);
His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of the German Emperor Gustaf Baron von Lindenfels, his Consul-General for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Privy Councillor of Legation, Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle, of the second class, with oak leaves and star, etc., etc.; and Dr. Hermann von Wissmann, Governor "en disponibilite," Major a la suite of the Army, Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle, of the third class, with sword and crown, etc., etc.;
His Majesty the King of, Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the Queen-Regent of the Kingdom, Don Pedro Jover y Tovar, his Chamberlain, First Secretary of his Embassy at London, Commander of the Order of Charles III, of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, etc., etc.;
His Majesty the King-Sovereign, of the Independent State of the Congo, M. Alexander Felix Fuchs, President of the Court of Appeal of Boma, Knight of the Order of Leopold, Officer of the Royal Order of the Lien, etc., etc.;
The President of the French Republic, M. Leon Geoffray, Minister Plenipotentiary, Councillor of the Embassy of the French Republic at London, Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, etc., etc.; and M. Louis Gustave Binger, Colonial Governor, "hors cadres," Director of the Affairs of Africa at the Ministry of the Colonies, Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, etc., etc.;
His Majesty the King of Italy, Francois, Count Bottaro Costa, Councillor of his Embassy at London;
His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, M. Jayme Batalha-Reis, his Consul-General at London;
Who, furnished with full powers, which have been found in good and due form, have adopted the following provisions:-
Article I.
The zone within which the provisions of the present Convention shall apply is bounded as follows: On the north by the 20th parallel of north latitude, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the Red Sea and by the Indian Ocean, on the south by a line following the northern boundary of the German possessions in South-Western Africa, from its western extremity to its junction with the River Zambesi, and thence running along the right bank of that river as far as the Indian Ocean.
Article II.
The Contracting Powers declare that the most effective means of preserving the various forms of animal life existing in a wild state within the zone defined in Article I are the following:-
1. Prohibition of the hunting and destruction of the animals mentioned in Schedule I attached to the present Convention, and also of any other animals whose protection, whether owing to their usefulness or to their rarity and threatened extermination, may be considered necessary by each Local Government.
2. Prohibition of the hunting and destruction of young animals of the species mentioned in Schedule II attached to the present Convention.
3. Prohibition of the hunting and destruction of females of the species mentioned in Schedule III attached to the present Convention when accompanied by their young.
The prohibition, to a certain extent, of the destruction of any females, when they can be recognized as such, with the exception of those of the species mentioned in Schedule V attached to the present Convention.
4. Prohibition of the hunting and destruction, except in limited numbers, of, animals of the species mentioned in Schedule IV attached to the present Convention.
5. Establishment, as far as it is possible, of, reserves within which it shall be unlawful to hunt, capture, or kill any bird or other wild animal except those which shall be specially exempted from protection by the local authorities.
By the term "reserves" are to be understood sufficiently large tracts of land which have all the qualifications necessary as regards food, water, and, if possible, salt, for preserving birds or other wild animals, and for affording them necessary quiet during the breeding time.
6. Establishment of close seasons with a view to facilitate the rearing of young.
7. Prohibition of the hunting of wild animals by any persons except holders of licences issued by the Local Government, such licences to be revocable in case of any breach of the provisions of the present Convention.
8. Restriction of the use of nets and pitfalls for taking animals.
9. Prohibition of the use of dynamite or other explosives; and of poison, for the purpose of taking fish in rivers, streams, brooks, lakes, ponds, and lagoons.
10. Impositions of export duties on the hides and skins of giraffes, antelopes, zebras, rhinoceroses, and hippopotami, on rhinoceros and antelope horns, and. on hippopotamus tusks.
11. Prohibition of hunting or killing young elephants, and in order to insure the efficacy of this measure, establishment of severe penalties against the hunters, and the confiscation in every case, by the Local Governments of all elephant tusks weighing less than 5 kilogrammes.
The confiscation shall not be enforced when it shall be duly proved that the possession of the tusks weighing less than 5 kilogrammes was anterior to the date of the coming into force of the present Convention. No such proof shall be accepted a year after that date.
12. Application of measures, such as the supervision of sick cattle, etc., for preventing the transmission of contagious diseases from domestic animals to wild animals.
13. Application of measures for effecting the sufficient reduction of the numbers of the animals of the species mentioned in Schedule V attached to the present Convention.
14. Application of measures for insuring the protection of the eggs of ostriches.
15. Destruction of the eggs of crocodiles, of those of poisonous snakes, and of those of pythons.
Article III.
The Contracting Parties undertake to promulgate, within a year from the date on which the present Convention comes into force, unless they already exist, provisions applying in their respective possessions within the zone, defined in Article I the principles and measures laid down in Article II( and to communicate to one another, as soon as possible after issue, the text of such provisions, and within eighteen months, information as to the areas which may be established as reserves.
It is, however, understood that the principles laid down in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9 of Article II may be relaxed, either in order to permit the collection of specimens for museums or zoological gardens, or for any other scientific purpose, or in cases where such relaxation is desirable for important administrative reasons, or necessitated by temporary difficulties in the administrative organization of certain territories.
Article IV.
The Contracting Parties undertake to apply, as far as possible, each in their respective possessions, measures for encouraging the domestication of zebras, of elephants, of ostriches, etc.
Article V.
The Contracting Parties reserve to themselves the right to introduce into the present Convention, by common accord, such modifications or improvements as experience may show to be useful.
Article VI.
The Powers having territories or possessions within the zone defined in Article I, who have not signed the present Convention, shall be permitted to accede to it. With this object, the Government of Her Britannic Majesty is charged to communicate the present Convention to them before the exchange of ratifications.
The accession of each Power shall be notified through the diplomatic channel to the Government of Her Britannic Majesty, and by that Government to all the signatory or acceding States.
Such accession shall of itself carry with it acceptance of all the obligations stipulated in the present Convention.
Article VII.
The Contracting Parties reserve to themselves the right to introduce, or to propose to the Legislatures of their self-governing Colonies, the necessary measures for carrying out the stipulations of the present Convention in their possessions and Colonies contiguous to the zone, defined by Article I.
Article VIII.
The present Convention shall be ratified.
The ratifications shall be deposited in London as soon as possible, and shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of Her Britannic Majesty.
As soon as all the ratifications shall have been produced, a Protocol of deposit shall be drawn up which shall be signed by the Representatives in London of the Powers who shall have ratified.
A certified copy of this Protocol shall be forwarded to each of the Powers interested.
Article IX.
The present Convention shall come into force one month after the date of the signature of the Protocol of deposit of the ratification provided for in Article VIII.
Article X.
The Present Convention shall remain in force for fifteen years and in the event none of the Contracting Parties having notified, twelve months before the expiration of the said period of fifteen years, its intention of terminating its operation, shall continue to remain in force for a year, and so on from year to year.
In case one of the signatory of acceding Powers shall denounce the Convention, such denunciation shall only affect the Power in question.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and have thereto affixed their seals.
Done at London, in septuplicate, one copy for each Party, the nineteenth day, of the month of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred.
(L.S.) HOPEOUN.
(L.S.) CLEMENT LL. HILL.
(L.S.) E RAY LANKESTER.
(L.S.) G. V. LINDENFELS.
(L.S.) DR. VON WISSMANN.
(L.S.) PEDRO JOVER Y TOVAR.
(L.S.) F. FUCHS.
(L.S.) GEOGGRAY.
(L.S.) L.G. BINGER.
(L.S.) COSTA.
(L.S.) JAYME BATALIA-REIS.
Annex
SCHEDULE I.
Animals referred to in paragraph 1 of Article II, whose preservation it is desired to ensure: -
(Series A). - On account of their usefulness:-
1. Vultures.
2. The Secretary-bird.
3. Owls.
4. Rhinoceros-birds or Beef-eaters (Buphaga).
(Series B.) - On account of their rarity and threatened extermination:-
1. The Giraffe.
2. The Gorilla.
3. The Chimpanzee.
4. The Mountain Zebra.
5. Wild Asses.
6. The White-tailed Gnu (Connochaetes gnu).
7. Elands (Tauratragus)
8. The little Liberian Hippopotamus.
SCHEDULE II
Animals referred to in paragraph 2 of Article II of which it is desired to prohibit the destruction when young:-
1. The Elephant.
2. Rhinoceroses.
3. The Hippopotamus.
4. Zebras of the species not referred to in Schedule I.
5. Buffaloes.
6. Antelopes and Gazelles; especially species of the genera Bubalis, Damaliscus, Connochaltes, Cephalophus, Oregtragus, Oribia, Rhaphiceros, Nesolragus, Madogna, Cobus, Cervicapra, Pelea, Epyceros, Antidorcus, Gazella, Ammodorcus, Lithcranius, Docolragus, Oryx, Addox, Hippotragus, Taurotragus, Strepsiceros, Tragelaphus.
7. Ibex.
8. Chevrotains (Tragulus).
SCHEDULE III.
Animals referred to in paragraph 3 of Article II, the killing of the females of which, when accompanied by their young, is prohibited:-
1. The Elephant.
2. Rhinoceroses.
3. The Hippopotamus.
4. Zebras of the species not referred to in Schedule I.
5. Buffaloes.
6. Antelopes and Gazelles; especially species of the genera Bubalis, Damaliscus, Connochaltes, Cephalophus, Oregtragus, Oribia, Rhaphiceros, Nesolragus, Madogna, Cobus, Cervicapra, Pelea, Epyceros, Antidorcus, Gazella, Ammodorcus, Lithcranius, Docolragus, Oryx, Addox, Hippotragus, Taurotragus, Strepsiceros, Tragelaphus.
7. Ibex.
8. Chevrotains (Tragulus).
SCHEDULE IV.
Animals referred to in paragraph 4 of Article II, of which only limited numbers may be killed:-
1. The Elephant.
2. Rhinoceroses.
3. The Hippopotamus.
4. Zebras of the species not referred to in Schedule I.
5. Buffaloes.
6. Antelopes and Gazelles; especially species of the genera Bubalis, Damaliscus, Connochaltes, Cephalophus, Oregtragus, Oribia, Rhaphiceros, Nesolragus, Madogna, Cobus, Cervicapra, Pelea, Epyceros, Antidorcus, Gazella, Ammodorcus, Lithcranius, Docolragus, Oryx, Addox, Hippotragus, Taurotragus, Strepsiceros, Tragelaphus.
7. Ibex.
8. Chevrotains (Tragulus).
9. The various Pigs.
10. Colobi and all the fur-Monkeys.
11. Aard-Varks (genus Crycteropux).
12. Dugongs (genus Hulicore).
13. Manatees (genus Manatus)
14. The Small Cats
15. The Serval
16. The Cheetali (Cynalurus)
17. Jackals
18. The Aard-wolf (Proteles).
19. Small Monkeys
20. Ostriches
21. Marabous
22. Egrets
23. Bustards
24. Francolins, Guinea-fowl and other "Game" birds.
25. Large Tortoises.
SCHEDULE V.
Harmful animals referred to in paragraphs 3 and 13 of Article II, of which it is desirable to reduce the numbers within sufficient limits:-
1. The Lion.
2. The Leopard.
3. Hyaenas.
4. The Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus).
5. The Otter (Lutra).
6. Baboons (Cynocephalus) and other harmful Monkeys.
7. Large birds of prey, except Vultures, the Secretary-bird and Owls.
8. Crocodiles.
9. Poisonous Snakes.
10. Pythons.
